Because I Love You
by Tezzer13
Summary: Magnus and Alec want a baby, but can they decide what they want to adopt before their relationship crumbles?
1. Magnus, I Want A Baby

Magnus and Alec were led in bed together, their arms wrapped around each other. Alec was wide awake, listening to his sleeping boyfriend's gentle heartbeat. He'd woken up several hours before their alarm was due to go off, but he just couldn't sleep. In his mind he could picture young children, running around at the park, playing games and just being children. He wanted a child. So badly, but he knew that it was impossible for him and Magnus. Sighing quietly, Alec snuggled into Magnus' chest. Magnus stirred slightly.  
"Alec?" He asked groggily.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I was just trying to get comfortable." Alec replied. Not lying because he was uncomfortable at first. Magnus opened his catlike eyes slightly. Studying Alec he could see the frustration on his face.  
"Something's wrong. What's up?" Alec buried his head into Magnus' chest. Their room was dark; the sun had not yet started to rise. "Alec?" Magnus asked, worry in his voice.  
"It's nothing. I promise. Let's just go back to sleep." Alec told him. They'd only been living together for a month and he didn't feel like it was fair to dump something like a child on Magnus. They'd never discussed it, and he didn't know if they ever would.  
"Alec, you know you can talk to me. About absolutely anything. You don't have to keep things from me." Magnus told him with complete confidence. Alec shook his head.  
"We can talk about it later. I know what you're like when you're tired." Alec looked up from Magnus' warm chest and kissed his forehead. "You get a bit grouchy." Magnus sighed and closed his eyes.  
"Don't think you'll be able to get out of it later Alexander. You know I'll remember that we need to talk about whatever is bothering you." He said before settling back down to sleep. Alec shuddered slightly; he knew that when Magnus called him by his full name, he was deadly serious. Magnus never forgot anything, nothing important anyway, and to Magnus something bothering Alec was very important. Alec studied Magnus whilst he slept for a few minutes and then turned onto his other side, shuffled back a little against Magnus and closed his eyes, forcing himself to go back to sleep. Magnus put his arm around him, and within five minutes Alec was sound asleep.

At precisely 8am their alarm went off. Magnus sprung out of bed as normal, but Alec stayed curled up under the covers. No matter how much Magnus wanted Alec to talk to him about what was on his mind, he knew he couldn't wake him up. He just looked too cute when he was sleeping. Smiling, Magnus kissed Alec's cheek and then went to the kitchen, where Chairman Meow was waiting eagerly to be fed. After putting some food together for Chairman Meow, who had never so much as smelled cat food, Magnus went to see what programmes were on TV. He was rarely impressed by the type of shows he saw, but there was an occasional programme that he enjoyed. After about half an hour of flicking through boring programmes, Alec emerged from their bedroom. His hair messy and his shirt crumpled. A smile spread across Magnus' face.  
"You look well rested." Magnus said, patting the spot on the couch beside him. Alec sat beside him and rubbed his eyes. "Now, what were you worrying about earlier?" Alec looked at him and sighed.  
"Magnus I just woke up. Can it wait? Please?" Alec complained. Magnus knew he was trying to avoid the conversation.  
"No, it can't. I want to know, and I want you to stop avoiding the question." Magnus said sternly. Alec looked down for a moment and then back up Magnus. He knew he'd have to tell him sooner or later, and he didn't want what happened the last time he didn't tell Magnus something, to happen again. Magnus raised his hand and involuntarily Alec flinched.  
"I'm not going to do anything Alec. Not unless you tell me." Magnus then placed his hand on Alec's shoulder.  
"I..." He started, not knowing how Magnus would react. "I want a child..." Alec looked at the tv screen, keeping his eye contact away from Magnus. After a few minutes of awkward silence between the two of them, Alec looked at Magnus who appeared deep in thought. "You don't want one. Do you?" Alec asked sadly.  
"Answer me this truthfully Alexander," Magnus said, running his fingers through Alec's hair. "How much do you want a child, and why do you want a child?" He asked. Alec looked dumbfounded.  
"I... I..." Alec had no words. Magnus smiled.  
"When you come up with an answer, you let me know." He said teasingly.  
"Magnus I'm serious. I want a child, and I want to raise them with you." Alec said. Magnus could tell that he was serious.  
"Give me some time to think about it." Was the last thing that Magnus said before getting up and leaving the room. Alec sighed heavily; his dreams of having a child were looking less and less likely.

For the rest of the day, Alec was distracted. He went down to the institute to train with Jace but when the two of them were fighting, Jace could tell that his heart wasn't in it.  
"What's wrong?" Jace asked mid strike. Alec easily deflected to blow but made no attempt at a counter attack, even though Jace had left himself wide open.  
"You're leaving yourself open again. That could get you killed." Alec said, dodging the question. It was easier to dodge questions from Jace than it was from Magnus. Jace altered his stance and attacked again. This time Alec struck back, knocking Jace off his feet. "I've had enough training for today." Alec said, putting his sword away. Behind him, Jace had gotten back to his feet.  
"You should know better than to turn your back on me." Jace said, going for one last attack whilst Alec's back was turned. Sidestepping at the last moment caused Jace to go flailing past. It was one of his less graceful movements but Alec didn't so much as smile. Instead he left the training room. Checking his phone, he saw that he had six missed calls from Magnus. Alec sighed.  
"I guess I owe it to you to call back..." He muttered quietly, punching Magnus' number into his phone. He picked up on the second ring.  
"Alexander, where are you? You left without saying a word." Magnus shouted down the phone, his voice filled with worry.  
"I'm at the institute." Alec replied simply. He wasn't up for a long conversation. Down the phone, Alec could hear a relieved sigh.  
"Next time, please tell me when you're leaving. You've had me and Chairman Meow worried sick." Going into the library, Alec saw that is was empty. He climbed swiftly up to his favourite window seat.  
"Sorry, I didn't think you wanted to be disturbed."  
"I didn't, but you could have left a note. Anyway, I've been thinking about our talk earlier. I have a question. Would you want a boy or a girl? And would they be human or a Downworlder like me or a Shadowhunter like you?" Magnus asked.  
"That's two questions."  
"Stop avoiding them. You said you wanted a child. I'm considering all the possibilities."  
"I... I want a girl..." Alec said quietly down the phone. He wanted to make sure that no-one overheard the conversation.  
"Okay, a girl." Alec could hear Magnus scribbling it down on some paper.  
"And Magnus, if this does happen, I don't want to see them covered in glitter every day."  
"Aww, but that takes the fun out of it." Magnus whined. Despite his mood, Alec smiled.  
"We'll compromise. One day a week, you can dress her up in whatever you want. And I won't complain at all."  
"Three days." Magnus' reply came instantly.  
"Two, but you can dress her up for parties and things like that." A pause. Magnus was thinking hard.  
"Deal." Alec could tell that he was smiling. "So a girl. Next question. Do you want a human, Downworlder or Shadowhunter?" This time is was Alec's turn to hesitate.  
"I don't want a human... I don't have anything against them, it's just I want a baby who can relate in some way to us."  
"Okay. I agree. How about a Downworlder? Warlock, vampire, werewolf, faerie?"  
"I wish you wouldn't categorise yourself as a Downworlder."  
"That's a discussion for another time." Alec nodded. He knew it wasn't the time to be discussing that but he also knew that Magnus was avoiding the conversation. Ever since Alec had first brought up the fact that he didn't like Magnus calling himself a Downworlder, Magnus had shrugged it off and changed the subject. It was only recently that he had started to notice. Alec thought hard about what he wanted.  
"Well, there aren't any vampire babies. A werewolf is far too unpredictable. A faerie... Not a faerie. But I wouldn't mind a warlock as long as the physical differences aren't too noticeable." Magnus knew he was right. Magnus' physical differences were minor compared to some others and his were easy to conceal with the right shaped contact lenses. "And a shadow..." Alec stopped. "Magnus I have to go, we'll talk about it when I get back okay?" Magnus started to protest, but Alec hung up. He'd been talking quietly through the entire conversation, but he had a feeling that he was being watched.


	2. Church, The Eavesdropper

"Jace? Izzy?" Alec called out, but no reply came. Jumping down from his window seat, Alec crouched low to the ground, scanning the entire library in one quick glance. On high alert, Alec slowly stood up. Walking around the entire library twice was more than enough to convince him that no-one was there and he started to relax, until a loud meow made him jump and grab at his dagger. It took him a second to realise that it was Church, who was comfortably stretched out under one of the chairs.

"Church, you scared the life out of me." Alec said whilst putting his dagger away. Church looked uninterested. He couldn't have cared less whether he'd scared him or not. Alec went over to Church, moved the chair and picked him up. Church complained about being moved, he'd been comfy. Tucking him under his arm, Alec took Church to his room.

"Oh Church stop whinging." Alec complained when they were about half way back to his room. Alec moved Church so he would be more comfortable, cradling him in his arms like a baby but Church was even less impressed. He swiped his paw up at Alec, hitting his face, but Alec didn't let him go. He didn't even flinch.

Once he got back to his room, Alec dumped the still complaining Church on his bed and then went to check what damage Church had done to his face in the mirror. There were three gashes down the left side on his face, each one bleeding. The highest gash only just missed his eye.

"Damnit Church." Alec sighed. Taking his stele from his pocket, he started carving an Iratze into his arm. Before his eyes, his flesh started knitting back together. The bleeding slowing and eventually coming to a complete stop. Looking over at Church, Alec saw that the cat was stretched out on his bed.

"See, you didn't have to be mean to me." Alec said whilst getting a damp cloth to clean the blood. Church was yet again uninterested but he looked much more comfortable stretched out on Alec's bed, rather than under a chair on a hard floor in the cold library. Once he'd cleaned his face he sat on the edge of his bed, gently stroking Church. Alec loved the sound of him purring. Suddenly remembering the call he had with Magnus, Alec decided to check his phone.

"Seriously Magnus, eight missed calls?" Alec said to himself. He knew that they needed to carry on the conversation they had been having, but he didn't want to do it by phone. He wanted to do it in person. Quickly typing in a line of text, Alec sent the message to Magnus saying 'Can we talk when I get home?' It was weird to think that Magnus' apartment was now his home but it felt right to say it. Laying down on his bed, Alec buried his face into the pillow and within a minute he was fast asleep. After having sleepless nights, and daily training sessions, he just couldn't stay awake any longer.

After about two hours, Alec woke up to his phone vibrating on his bedside table. He looked at it through tired eyes, let it continue ringing and went back to sleep. As abruptly as it had started, the vibrating stopped. Alec sighed.

"If that's you Magnus, I swear I'll kill you." Alec mumbled in his sleep. No more than five minutes later, the vibrating started again. Grabbing his phone, Alec saw that it was indeed Magnus calling. Answering the phone, he curled up into the foetal position.

"You know, it's amazing how annoying someone you love so much can be." He said, his voice showing how tired he was.

"Alec, why aren't you home yet? It's almost midnight." Magnus said, ignoring Alec's previous statement.

"I'm at the institute."

"But why aren't you home?" Alec could hear that Magnus was pouting.

"I'm tired Magnus. I was asleep when you called." Alec knew he wasn't being fair to Magnus, but he needed to rest. His tired body wouldn't do him any good with putting up with Magnus, or if a demon was sighted.

"But..." Alec didn't let him finish.

"I know Magnus and I'm sorry. I'm just so tired. I haven't been sleeping well and I've been training every day. Please, it's just for one night." Alec was begging for him to understand.

"Fine." Was all that Magnus said and he really didn't sound happy. In fact, he sounded close to tears.

"Magnus..."

"No, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to be with you. You get some sleep."

"Magnus please, please don't cry. You know I don't like it when you cry." Alec could feel himself tearing up just by thinking about Magnus crying. The last time Alec had heard Magnus cry was because Alec had gotten badly hurt after an unanticipated demon attack. After a few minutes of silence over the phone, Alec finally sighed and said. "I'll be home soon."

"No Alec, it's okay. If you're tired, stay there. I'll just see you tomorrow."

"Magnus, I'm coming home."

"Okay, I'll see you soon." Alec could hear that Magnus was smiling. A happy smile that he wished he could see.

Less than an hour later, Alec was back home with Magnus and Chairman Meow. He was laid on the couch with his head comfortably in Magnus' lap. Magnus sat, gently running his fingers through Alec's hair. Magnus had de-glittered himself for the day, and he'd taken his contact lenses out. Slowly, Alec was drifting off to sleep. Completely relaxed and happy. Magnus was giving him the quiet that he needed. The apartment was completely silent. He was glad he'd gone home. Magnus had the most delicate touch when he wanted to. Alec couldn't help but relax under his touch. All his worries went away when he was with Magnus. Magnus kissed Alec's cheek softly and with a smile on his face Alec finally went to sleep. Magnus loved watching Alec sleep. He always looked so peaceful. Magnus looked down the couch. Chairman Meow was curled up, fast asleep, at Alec's feet. Magnus was the only one still awake and it gave him a chance to think. Think about what Alec wanted. A child. Magnus had never even thought about raising a child, but now his boyfriend who he loved more than anything (except maybe for Chairman Meow) had said that he wanted a baby. He knew it would be hard and that there would be a lot of sleepless nights, but he was sure that they could do it. He'd never felt more sure of anything in his entire life. Over the day he hadn't been able to think properly, his mind had been preoccupied with worry about Alec, rather than thinking about their conversation earlier that day. Now that Alec was safely home with him, he could think properly. His head was clear; he had nothing to worry about. So he thought. And thought. And thought a little bit more. Until finally he fell asleep. That night Magnus dreamt of what it would be like to raise a child with Alec. It was a very good dream and on more than one occasion, Magnus smiled in his sleep.


	3. Magnus' Dream (Merry Christmas!)

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" A young girl shouted, jumping on the bed, desperate to wake at least one of them up. "Daddy! Daddy! Wake up!" Opening his eyes slowly, Magnus saw her. His daughter. Sitting up, Magnus pulled her into his arms. Tickling her stomach lightly caused her to shriek with laughter.

"Is my little girl ticklish? I think she is." Magnus said with a smile on his face. The girl grabbed at his hand.

"Daddy! Stop!" She shouted and he did. Cuddling into his chest, the young girl looked at Alec and smiled. "Daddy tired."

"Yeah he is sweetie. He's very tired." Magnus said, running his fingers through Alec's hair lightly. Alec had been out late the night before after a demon had been sighted not far from Magnus' house. It had taken him hours to locate and kill it and it had exhausted him. It had been a hard fight and he'd been hurt, but he'd fixed himself up with an Iratze before he'd gone home. The girl started reaching for Alec, wanting to be near him. Magnus laid her beside Alec, and then laid back down. The girl looked up at Alec, and then saw one of his runes showing out of the top of his shirt. She started tracing it lightly with her finger but before she was halfway done, Alec stirred.

"Sowwy daddy..." She said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Ally, baby don't cry. It's okay." Alec said, holding her close. It had been Magnus' idea to call her Ally and Alec had immediately fallen in love with the name. Ally was a Shadowhunter but her parents had given her up because they were nearly always away from home. They didn't have the time for a baby. Ally was two days old when Alec and Magnus took her in. Magnus could still remember the look of pure happiness on Alec's face when they brought her home. She was almost three now and he was shocked at how fast she'd grown.

"Daddy? Why you gots black on your body?" Ally asked, she sounded so innocent.

"They're daddy's runes baby. They keep daddy protected from bad people."

"Bad people hurt daddy?" Ally was close to tears. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt her dad.

"Oh Ally... It's okay."

"Daddy gets hurt!" Ally cried, burying her head into Alec's chest. Alec had no idea what to say to make her feel better.

"Baby girl, daddy gets hurt, so other people don't get hurt. Daddy makes the bad people go away so it's safe for you." Magnus said, knowing exactly what to say. Ally looked up, her beautiful blue eyes glistening with tears. Magnus delicately brushed her tears away. "Now, don't you cry sweetie. Daddy wants to see that pretty little smile of yours." Ally couldn't help but smile. She climbed over Alec and lay between them. Turning over, Alec put an arm over Ally and kissed her forehead. Ally giggled, she had the most adorable laugh that never failed to make both Alec and Magnus smile. Looking at the time, Magnus saw that it was five in the morning.

"Ally, why are you up so early? You're never up before eight" Ally shrugged. "Baby you know you can tell me anything." In her quietest voice, Ally said.

"I have a scary dream and then I wet the bed..." Magnus held her close.

"It's okay sweetheart. It happens. It happened to me when I was your age, and it happened to daddy when he was your age."

"Really?" Ally asked. Magnus smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Really. And, all it takes to make it better is this." Magnus snapped his fingers.

"Magnus, we agreed no magic for things like this." Alec complained into his pillow.

"Yes we did, but you're exhausted and I'm comforting Ally. So if you want to go and do it then go ahead, I'll undo it." Alec groaned.

"Fine. Just this once." Magnus pulled the covers up over the three of them.

"I stay in here?" Ally asked, Magnus could see that she was tired and was falling asleep in his arms.

"Of course you can princess. You can say in here whenever you want." Magnus said. Reaching over to his bedside table, he turned his alarm off knowing that Ally didn't like loud noises. Cuddling into his chest, Ally fell asleep. Magnus watched her sleep for a little while. Watching her chest rise and fall as she slept, the way her hands clenched and relaxed and the way she smiled when her head lay against his chest and she could hear his heartbeat. Magnus happily fell asleep knowing that his baby girl was comfortable, happy and protected. Three hours later, Magnus was awake. He didn't need his alarm clock to know it was time to wake up. Both Ally and Alec were still sound asleep. Ally had her signature iron grip on his shirt and he couldn't bear the thought of making her let go. Getting out of bed, he held Ally close to him, keeping her comfortable. Carrying her to the kitchen, he put together some food for Chairman Meow. Today it was a mix of fish and chicken. Whilst he tucked in to his meal, Magnus went and sat on the couch. He didn't turn the tv on as he knew it would wake Ally. He sat there in silence for more than an hour, gently playing with her hair, before she woke up.

"Daddy." Ally smiled and cuddled into his chest.

"Yeah baby, I'm your daddy." After almost three years, Magnus still couldn't get over the happiness he felt when she called him 'daddy'. "Why don't we go to the park today. Give daddy some quiet time because he's very very tired." Ally nodded.

"No wants to wake daddy." She said.

"No, we don't want to wake daddy."

Magnus stood up with her and sat her on his shoulders. He took her into the kitchen and fixed the two of them breakfast. He got Ally some of her favourite cereal, and he had two pieces of dry toast.

"Daddy? Can we make daddy some food? It make him happy." Ally asked after finishing her cereal. Magnus smiled.

"Of course we can. Let's see what we've got." After a few minutes of rooting through cupboards and the refrigerator, Ally and Magnus started making Alec breakfast. It consisted of an omelette, bacon, sausages and toast. Picking Ally up, Magnus sat her on the kitchen counter. Breaking three eggs into a cup, he gave them to Ally as well as a fork.

"Can you whisk those up for me sweetie?" Ally nodded and started whisking the eggs whilst Magnus put the bacon on and started cooking the sausages. When she was done, Ally handed the cup back to Magnus.

"Wow! You've done an amazing job at that baby girl!" Magnus exclaimed. Ally reached over and put her hand over his mouth.

"Shh, daddy sleeping." She said quietly and Magnus nodded. She moved her hand away and giggled. After the sausages were cooked and the bacon was sufficiently burnt, Magnus put some bread in the toaster and started cooking the omelette. It didn't take long for the omelette to be done and he put it on a plate. Whilst his back was turned, Ally tried to work out how to turn off the stove that he had left on by accident. All of a sudden, Magnus heard a pained scream and then Ally started to cry. Turning back quickly, he saw her crying her eyes out, the skin on her hand was burned.

"Oh my baby!" Magnus said, he picked her up carefully and turned the stove off. Taking her over to the sink, he turned on the cold water and gently held Ally's hand under the water to soothe her burns. As the pain started to fade, Ally gradually stopped crying. "Baby girl I'm so so sorry." Magnus repeated over and over again. Not once did she reply, she just watched the water run over her hand through sore eyes. Alec ran out of the bedroom, his hair a mess and his eyes tired.

"What happened? I heard Ally scream." He asked frantically, extremely worried. Ally reached for him and he took her from Magnus.

"We were making you breakfast." Magnus began. "I turned my back for a second and I'd left the stove on by accident..." Alec could guess the rest. Ally had her head buried into his chest and was crying, he saw the burns on her hand. Magnus had never looked so upset.

"Ally, baby it wasn't daddy's fault. It was an accident, accidents happen. Magnus, it's okay. Next time, you'll remember to turn the stove off. It couldn't be helped. These things happen." Alec put his hand on Magnus' cheek but he moved away. "Magnus..."

"It's my fault. All my fault and now she hates me." Magnus was close to tears.

"Magnus no. No, she doesn't hate you. You're her daddy, she can't hate you. She's upset, just like you are." Magnus nodded slightly.

"I need to be alone right now..." He said, then he grabbed a jacket and left without saying another word, making Ally cry even harder.


	4. Unpleasant Memories

It was at that point that Magnus woke up. Alec still had his head in his lap and was asleep. The sun was shining in through the window and he could hear his alarm going off in the bedroom. With a snap of his fingers the alarm stopped. That was the best dream he'd had in a long time, until he hurt Ally. He couldn't believe what had happened, but now he was certain that he wanted a child. Looking down at Alec, Magnus smiled and played gently with his hair. Alec stirred and woke up. Looking up at Magnus, he smiled.

"Morning." Alec said, not making any move to get up from him position. He was extremely comfortable. Magnus leaned forwards and kissed his cheek.

"Morning." He replied. "I've made my decision."

"Decision? About what?" Alec asked, he wasn't fully awake and didn't catch on to what Magnus meant straight away.

"What we were talking about yesterday. Remember?" It took Alec a few minutes to understand what he meant and he nodded.

"About having a child." He said finally.

"Yes."

"What is your decision...?" Alec asked. Biting his lip, he had everything crossed that Magnus would say that he wanted a child.

"I want a child." Alec's face lit up. He sat up and hugged Magnus.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"It was decided at about five this morning. Let's just say, I had a very good dream." Magnus said, leaving out the part where he hurt Ally. He wanted Alec to know that he'd truly considered it. Alec stood up off of the couch and stretched.

"Let's grab some breakfast and then we'll talk more about it. Okay?"

Within half an hour, they were both tucking in to a breakfast that consisted of toast, eggs, sausages and bacon. They always sat together at a circular dining table that they had., they never sat on the couch. Neither of them said a word as they ate, but there was a positive energy that enveloped the apartment. After they'd both finished eating and were comfortably full, they washed everything and went and sat back on the couch. Magnus turned the TV on but neither of them watched it.

"So..." Alec started. "You want a baby. You're definitely sure?"

"I've never been more certain of anything in my entire life." Magnus replied with a smile on his face.

"That's great!" Alec exclaimed. "We know that we want a girl, so do you want a Shadowhunter or a Warlock?" Magnus had to think for a few minutes. He stared blankly at the TV whilst he thought. The Simpsons was playing to no-one in particular, though Chairman Meow seemed to be watching it, his tail occasionally flicking from side to side. The Simpsons was one of the few programmes that could actually amuse Magnus but he had no intention of watching it.

After almost ten minutes, Magnus looked back at Alec.

"A Shadowhunter." He said. "Definitely a Shadowhunter."

"Oh... I wanted a warlock..." Alec replied. This was something that neither of them had anticipated.

"Warlocks can be difficult to raise." Magnus said matter-of-factly. As a child Magnus often had little incidents involving his developing magic. He remembered one time when he was being chased by an older boy, and, without wanting to, he created an invisible force that choked and almost killed him. The memory sent shudders down his spine. Alec reassuringly closed his hand over Magnus'.

"What's wrong? You seem distressed." Alec observed. He was growing accustomed to Magnus' habits and signs. Even though Magnus concealed it well, Alec could nearly always tell when he was hiding something. Magnus quickly composed himself.

"Nothing. Just an... Unpleasant memory." Magnus replied. He wasn't lying, but it bothered him more than he dared admit. He knew if he said any more, that Alec would press him for details and then try and comfort him. By keeping it short, Alec wouldn't press on.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you." Magnus knew he'd say that and he smiled in response. Looking at the TV screen, Magnus watched the last couple of minutes of The Simpsons. He'd seen the episode many times before, though it never became any less amusing to him. The two of them sat in silence for a while. Neither knowing what to say. They'd come to a standstill. Both Alec and Magnus were afraid that if they tried to convince the other to change their mind, then it'd end in a fight. It was on a very rare occasion that they fought, and they had always made up at the end of it. But they hated it, they hated the thought of pushing the other away over a stupid argument that wasn't necessary in the first place. Sensing the slight tension in the air, Chairman Meow got up from his seat and padded off silently to the spare room. Finally, it was Magnus who broke the silence between them.

"So, why do you want a Warlock?" He asked. It was a simple question and Alec had been thinking about why he did.

"I've been around Shadowhunters my whole life. Well, until I met you. And I think that raising a warlock would be a challenge." Magnus nodded slightly, he understood completely. Silence fell between them again. The noise of the TV becoming more and more distant to both of them.

"Why do you want a Shadowhunter?" Alec asked.

"Similar reason to you really. I've been around Downworlders most of m..."

"Stop calling yourself a Downworlder." Alec interrupted, clearly irritated.

"Don't interrupt me Alexander, I didn't interrupt you." Magnus said, a little annoyed. Alec looked down.

"Sorry..."

"As I was saying, I've been around Downworlders most of my life." Alec flinched at the use of the word Downworlder. "I think raising a Shadowhunter would be a challenge." Magnus finished. As soon as Alec was certain that Magnus had finished speaking, he decided to speak his mind.

"Please, please Magnus. Stop categorising yourself as a Downworlder. You are so much more than that." Magnus looked at him and could see that he was quite clearly begging. Sighing, Magnus nodded.

"It won't change what I am, but if you insist then I'll stop." Alec knew that was the best he was going to get so he pushed it to the back of his mind. He was just glad that they'd finally talked about him calling himself a Downworlder, after over a year of him avoiding the conversation. Looking back at the TV, Magnus chuckled to himself. Just the sound of Magnus' laugh was enough to make Alec relax.

"You know, warlock children have very little control over their magic. If they get scared, angry or excited, their magic can flare up. Sometimes with drastic consequences." Magnus said without taking his eyes off the TV.

"Did something like that happen to you?" Alec asked curiously.

"Yes." Magnus replied. He didn't want to elaborate on several occasions where his magic had been particularly dangerous. "In younger years, it tends to be less frequent. But as they grow older and learn of their powers and abilities, and also as they grow stronger that is where it can become dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Yes, there was one time when I was seven where I nearly killed both my parents."

"But you hadn't meant to... Right?"

"No! No of course not!" Magnus took a second to compose himself before continuing. "I got mad. Really mad. I thought I could control it but I was wrong." He finished.

"Did you get in trouble for it?" Magnus shook his head.

"No. They understood. My point is Alec, that warlock children are dangerous. Worse than a werewolf at times."

"But you've been through it, you know what it's like and you can help them and help me." Magnus shot him a sideways glance before refocusing on the TV. "Shadowhunters are pretty difficult to raise too." Alec said.

"How so?" Magnus asked, wondering how a Shadowhunter could be any harder to raise than a warlock.

"Well there's all the training that they have to go through, learning to use different weapons, learning friend from foe. I remember I used to wake up in the middle of the night and try and attack my parents so I could get better." Magnus laughed slightly.

"Did you ever succeed?"

"No, they always caught me. But they always left it to the last second before stopping me." Alec remembered it as if it happened just days ago. "Then when Max was born, I stopped doing it." Alec's heart tightened at the thought of Max.

"Max... Your little brother?" Alec nodded.

"Yeah, I was about nine when he was born. I loved him so much." He had tears in his eyes. It had been almost three years since Max had been killed and just the mention of his name was enough to reduce Alec to tears. Magnus looked at Alec and pulled him into his lap, holding him close.

"Let it out Alec. Don't bottle it up. You can cry if you want to." Alec looked at Magnus for a moment before burying his head into his chest and crying. Magnus hated it when Alec cried, but he knew that if Alec didn't release his frustration in some way then he wouldn't sleep.

"It should've... Been me..." Alec said between sobs. Magnus bit his lip. Alec would change the past if he could and Magnus was well aware of that. The thought made him feel unloved, but he knew that Alec did love him. Alec just thought that Max hadn't lived his life, he hadn't seen the world. He hadn't even received his first rune.

"No Alec. No it shouldn't. It was Max's time and I'm sure he's looking down on you right now with tears in his eyes, because he loves you so much and he wants you to be happy." Magnus saying that only made Alec cry harder. "Come back Max!" Alec cried out. "I need you!" Magnus understood his pain. He knew what he was going through, but seeing someone else go through it was much harder for him. Especially when it was someone he loved as much as Alec. Magnus couldn't stop the stream of tears that were flowing down his cheeks. Magnus had lost so many people that he'd loved. Family, friends, lovers. But never had he reacted like Alec. Alec had truly loved his brother and would give absolutely anything to get him back.


	5. Hit Me If You Want (Happy New Year!)

"Alec. Alec, baby listen to me. Listen to me. I know it's hard. And it doesn't get easier over time. Anyone who tells you that is lying. But it does become easier to cope with." Alec shook his head. Magnus turned the TV off. He made Alec stand up and then he stood up beside him, completely supporting him. Then, slowly, they went into their bedroom. Alec couldn't stop crying and was still bawling his eyes out when Magnus made him lay down on the bed. Lying next to him, Magnus put his arms around him. Alec cuddled up to Magnus as much as he could, needing all the love and support he could get.

"I've got you my dear Shadowhunter, and I won't let you go." Magnus kissed the top of Alec's head softly. "Cry as much as you need to. Scream, shout, hit me if you want. Just let it out. Let it all out." Magnus knew that Alec would never hit him, but he'd given the option so he knew he was fully there for him. No matter what.

"I w-w-won't hit y-y-you." Alec stammered. He couldn't even comprehend the thought of hitting Magnus.

"I know baby. Just calm down. You need to calm down." Alec nodded slightly. "I know you loved your brother. I know you still love him. But you can't hold on to the past. No matter how much you want to. It's hard, I know. It's hard to let go, but he's in a better place. Somewhere he's happy and safe. A place with no pain, no suffering. He'll be with all the rest of your family. People I've met, and lost. You need to be strong for him Alexander. You need to live the life that he never got the chance to." Magnus finally realised that he was crying, but he didn't care. He cried quietly, so Alec wouldn't feel even worse. The use of Alec's full name allowed him to calm a tiny bit. He knew he had to let go, but he didn't know how. After a few minutes, Magnus had stopped crying and devoted his whole attention to helping Alec. Gently, he stroked Alec's back and ran his fingers through his hair. He kissed the top of his head and held him close.

"Everything will be okay Alec." Magnus said in a calm voice. "Everything is going to be just fine."

It took over an hour for Alec to finally start to calm down. Magnus had held him in silence, letting him cry. Alec had hold of the front of his shirt and as he calmed, his grip slowly loosened until his hand was flat against Magnus' chest. Magnus' heartbeat was slow and gentle and as Alec finally stopped crying, he looked up from Magnus' chest. Magnus was looking down at him with caring eyes. Carefully, he brushed the last of Alec's tears away.

"I love you Magnus. I love you so much." Magnus smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I love you too Alec." Magnus could see how red and sore Alec's eyes were. "You know you can always come to me. With anything. I'll always listen. I'm here for you." Alec nodded and smiled slightly.

"I know. And I'm here for you too. Without you here, I don't know what I'd do. I think my heart would just tear itself to shreds."

"Well, I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Because if your heart did that, how could you love me?" Alec had to smile at that, he couldn't deny how much he loved Magnus.

"I do love you. And I always will. Now can we go to sleep for a bit? My eyes really hurt and yours look a bit sore too."

"Of course we can baby." Magnus said. Alec knew he'd been crying too, though not as much. Alec put one hand behind Magnus' head. Magnus lowered his head slightly and met Alec's lips. It was rare that the two of them properly kissed, but the times they did were passionate and long awaited. Alec ran his fingers through Magnus' hair. Magnus used all his body weight to push Alec onto his back, but he didn't break the kiss. He lay his chest against Alec's and felt Alec's arms lock around his back, holding him. It had been over six months since they'd last kissed like that, and a slight desperation was present between them. Even though both their eyes hurt and they needed to sleep, neither of them wanted to pull away. Magnus gripped onto Alec's shirt and pushed it up slightly. Slipping his hand up the front of Alec's shirt, Magnus put his hand flat on Alec's strong chest. His chest was warm, his heart was racing and his breathing was fast. Magnus knew he was happy. This was what they needed after the time they spent crying. They needed each other; they needed to be close and needed to be loved. They'd never go too far though. They knew their boundaries, and they wouldn't cross them unless both of them were ready. As of now, the two of them were comfortable shirtless with each other, but no more. In the four years they'd been together, neither one of them had ever been naked in front of the other and that was the way they wanted to keep it. At least for the time being. It had taken over two years for them to be comfortable shirtless around each other. Alec held onto the back of Magnus' shirt, and pulled. Magnus knew what he was doing, so he broke the kiss and let Alec pull his shirt over his head. His heart was pounding, threatening to break out of his chest. Magnus pushed himself up and discarded his shirt onto the bedroom floor. Alec rarely made the first move and Magnus was a bit surprised at how desperate he actually seemed. Alec sat up and wrestled with his shirt, trying to get it off. Magnus couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Here." Magnus said as he helped Alec untangle himself from his shirt. They were breathless but all negative thoughts had dissipated. Magnus threw his arms around Alec and pulled him into his lap so they were facing each other. It was the one time that Alec could actually be taller than Magnus. Magnus could sense a nervousness creeping into Alec, he'd never sat Alec facing him before, and Alec wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. Magnus looked into Alec's blue eyes.

"Relax baby." Magnus soothed. "We're not going to do anything we aren't both comfortable with. You know that." Alec smiled and visibly relaxed. Then he did something Magnus didn't think he'd do, he wrapped his legs around his back, making them closer than they'd ever been before. Magnus had his hands on Alec's back and he let his fingers trail up and down, over runes and past scars. Alec shivered in the adorable way he always did when Magnus touched his back and he leaned against him. Alec was on the verge of falling asleep, he was extremely comfortable and more than happy. He was just about to drift off when Magnus cupped his face in his hands. Then Magnus kissed him. The kiss was much gentler than the last time. The desperation that was previously between them had gone. Instead it was soft, delicate and passionate. It held all of their love for each other. It was a few minutes before they broke they kiss and both of them had a smile on their face.

Magnus looked at Alec, at his eyes, at his chest, at his strong arms. Gently, Magnus put his hand flat on Alec's chest, just over his heart. Alec repeated the gesture and smiled. It was a warm smile and it gave Magnus butterflies.

"I love you." The two of them said in unison. Then Alec released his grip around Magnus' back, moved back onto the bed and lay down on the bed, beckoning Magnus to lie beside him. Happily, Magnus lay on his side. Gazing into Alec's beautiful blue eyes, he put one hand on his waist. A gentle touch, but it made Alec shiver. Cuddling against Magnus, Alec fully relaxed. His body went limp, and he drifted off to sleep. Magnus watched Alec sleep. Alec had a smile on his face and his breathing was calm. His heart was still slowing down after what they'd done and Magnus could feel it was strong. Slowly, Magnus drifted off to sleep. His tired eyes finally giving in to what he needed.


	6. Pointless Fights

The two of them slept for the rest of the day and were arisen the next morning by the blaring of the alarm.  
"We slept all day?" Alec asked groggily as he reached over Magnus and slapped the top of the alarm. Then he let his tired body drop on top of Magnus. Magnus groaned and wriggled onto his front.  
"It's too early." Magnus complained, he'd never slept for so long in his life. The two of them stayed like that for almost half an hour before they had a very rude awakening.  
"Alec! Up now, you missed training yesterday!" Jace yelled from the doorway. This time, it was Alec's turn to groan.  
"Go away Jace, I'm tired." He said. Jace sighed.  
"Whatever you two were up to last night is none of my concern, but I'm not letting you miss any more training." Jace said, walking over to Alec he grabbed his arm and started trying to pull him off the bed.  
"Jace stop it, I just got comfy." Magnus muttered into his pillow. "How did you get in here anyway?"  
"Alec left his spare key at the institute and when he didn't show yesterday I thought I'd come over." He was still yanking on Alec's arm.  
"Jace get off!" Alec shouted, punching his Parabatai in the face. Jace staggered back, stunned. Alec pushed himself back onto the bed and lay back over Magnus.  
"I just want what's best for you Alec!" Jace shouted. "If you want to miss training then fine, but don't go blaming me when you get killed!" Then Jace stormed out, Chairman Meow hissing at him as he left.  
"Great, he woke Chairman Meow. Now he'll want feeding." Magnus mumbled. "Please get your key back off him. That was a very rude awakening that I don't want to relive."  
"I'll feed him. Jace is right, I need to train." Alec said, looking up at the time. It had just past twenty to nine.  
"He won't eat unless I make it. It's one of his most annoying traits." Alec started pushing himself up off of Magnus. "Oh, give Jace a punch from me and tell him if he does that again, I'll do something he won't enjoy." Alec shuddered. Last time Jace had annoyed Magnus he'd found his underwear drawer full of meal worms. And the time before that his favourite dagger had turned into a snake when he picked it up. Jace knew not to mess with Magnus though he constantly tested his patience. Alec gathered up his training gear and disappeared into the bathroom.  
"Alec, you left your shirt in here* Magnus called to him.  
"I'll put it on when I come out." Alec called back. Magnus walked slowly into the kitchen. Chairman Meow was pacing back and forth along the counters, meowing loudly.  
"Oh Chairman stop whining. I know nasty Jace woke you up and I'm making your breakfast now." Opening the fridge, Magnus pulled out a plate of chicken. He pulled it into small pieces and put it in the microwave for a few seconds. Chairman Meow wouldn't eat anything cold. Just after the microwave dinged to let Magnus know it had finished, Alec walked out of their bedroom and was wrestling with a jacket. Alec's tired mind plus a jacket equalled disaster. Magnus felt obliged to help but not before laughing a bit at Alec's misfortune.  
"I can't find the goddamn sleeve!" He shouted in frustration. Magnus went over to Alec, narrowly missing a hit from one of his flailing arms.  
"Alec stop moving and let me help you." Alec reluctantly stood still. Magnus sorted out Alec's jacket by putting the sleeve the right way round, then he guided Alec's arm into the sleeve. "There you go. Now, you aren't going anywhere without breakfast."  
"I'll grab some on the way. Jace is already in a mood and I'll be beaten senseless if I'm not there soon."  
"I know that trick Alec. I know you won't eat. If he gets mad tell him it's my fault." Magnus said, pulling Alec over to their dining table. "You're eating. Whether you want to or not." Alec sighed and drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. His eyes fixated on the kitchen clock. Magnus glanced over at him and frowned.  
"Alexander stop that. You're making me nervous." Alec reluctantly tore his eyes away from the clock and sat on his hands. Instead he tapped his feet on the floor. Magnus slammed his hands down on the kitchen counter making Alec jump. "Just go, go to your training session." Magnus said, clearly annoyed.  
"You said..."  
"I know what I said! I've changed my mind! Go!" Magnus shouted. Alec looked hurt. He got up from his chair and made his way to the front door. Opening it, he stepped outside before looking back.  
"I'm sorry Magnus. I didn't mean to annoy you. Don't worry, I won't come back tonight." Alec said calmly before closing the door behind him. Before he'd made it two steps away from the door, he could hear Magnus walking over to it. Running down the stairs, he couldn't bear to see Magnus. Not once did he look back as he walked away from the apartment, he knew Magnus would be stood at the window.

Magnus watched Alec leave. He'd done it again; he'd started a pointless fight over something so stupid. He stood at the window until Alec was out of sight and then he went and plopped down on the couch. How Alec had managed to keep his voice level was beyond him. Alec hated their fights more than he did. He knew that Jace was in for a hell of a beating once Alec arrived. If Jace hadn't have woken them up, they would never have had the fight.  
"Chairman Meow? Am I a bad person? It always seems to be me who starts these fights." He looked at the tiny cat who was still tucking into his breakfast. "It seems you're the only person I can rely on." Magnus then sat in silence until Chairman Meow had finished his breakfast. The tiny cat padded over to the couch, jumped up and curled up in Magnus' lap. Gently, Magnus stroked him, happy to have someone to keep him company. Looking at his phone, Magnus had an urge to call Alec. To apologise and ask for his forgiveness. Unfortunately, he knew Alec wouldn't answer. He also knew he'd be sleeping alone that night. The realisation of it made his heart sink to his feet.  
"Alec... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. Everything is always my fault." Magnus said to himself. Despite his sadness, Magnus didn't cry. Flicking the TV on, he needed something to distract himself. Once again, there was nothing to watch so he settled on a movie that he'd seen several times. He paid next to no attention to the TV; instead his focus was entirely on his phone. He needed to talk to Alec and apologise but he was afraid Alec wouldn't pick up. So he sat, gently stroking the tiny cat in his lap and hoping that Alec would call him first.  
Slowly, Alec walked the cold streets of New York. He wasn't in the mood to reach the institute straight away as he'd end up giving Jace a beating. He'd stopped off at a small coffee shop along the way and picked up a drink of fresh orange juice, and a few pieces of toast.  
"Well Magnus, you can't say I don't eat if I don't eat at home." Alec muttered to himself. It was a Saturday so people were walking down the streets going to their friend's house, or to go shopping or to do whatever else Mundanes do with their time. Alec had a very limited number of friends but that didn't bother him. All he needed was his family and Magnus. Again his thoughts were drawn to Max, but he this time he didn't cry. Instead he looked up at the sky and smiled, remembering what Magnus had told him the day before.  
"Living this life for you little brother. I hope you're happy up there. I love you, and miss you." Then his thoughts flicked to Magnus. To their fight.  
"It's my fault." He said to the Mundanes walking past him. Though none of them could see him it made him feel a bit better to speak his mind. In his pocket, Alec thought he felt his phone vibrate. Digging into his pocket, he pulled his phone out. The screen was blank and it showed no messages and no missed calls.  
"I must really have annoyed you for you not to be calling me..." Alec said sadly to his blank phone screen, unaware that Magnus was patiently waiting for him to call. Putting is phone back in his pocket, Alec sighed heavily. It usually took him a little less than an hour to walk to the institute, but it was becoming more like an hour and a half.


	7. Fight Me For Real

When Alec finally strolled in to the institute, it was almost midday. To warm up, he decided to jog to the training room. It seemed a much shorter distance whilst he was jogging, if he'd have walked it would've taken him at least another ten minutes. Jace was already in the training room when Alec arrived, and by the looks of it, he'd been there for a while.

"So, you decided to show up then?" Jace asked without turning around. He had a seraph blade clutched in his right hand and was viciously attacking a training dummy.

"Well, since you woke me and Magnus up, seriously annoyed Magnus which ended us up in a fight, it's safe to say I've come to kick your ass." Alec replied to Jace's amusement. "Did I say something funny?"

"Only the fact that you think you can kick my ass." Jace chuckled to himself. Alec shed his jacket and threw it to one side. Jace may have had the strength advantage, but Alec was nimble and quick which often made it hard for Jace to hit him.

"Well then fight me. Fists only, no runes." Alec challenged. Jace stopped his attack on the dummy and turned around. He could see by the look on Alec's face that he was deadly serious. He wanted to fight. "And I owe you a punch off Magnus too. But, before we get into this, I want my key back." Jace took the key out of his pocket.

"How about we make this little fight conditional? You win; I give you the key back and never disturb you and Magnus again." Alec pondered the thought for a moment.

"Okay... What if you win?" Alec asked cautiously.

"You have to make Magnus turn my new pet snake back into my favourite dagger." Jace said, discarding his seraph blade. "Sound fair?" Alec nodded and a split second later, narrowly dodged a blow from Jace. Alec smiled at the thought of Jace's dagger being a snake, but his smile quickly vanished as Jace tried to sweep his feet out from underneath him. Alec leapt back out of the way.

"By the way." Alec began as he danced around Jace. "Magnus said that if you ever do something like that again, he'll do something you won't enjoy." Jace stopped for a moment and shuddered before turning his attention back to the fight.

"I don't fancy having meal worms in my underwear again." Jace said. Alec laughed but in doing so, he dropped his guard. Jace saw his opportunity and punched Alec in the stomach. As he pulled back for another punch, Alec rolled to the side out of the way. "And you grill me about leaving myself open." He taunted. Alec glared at him.

"No fair. You don't laugh in a fight against demons." Jace shrugged. Alec glanced over to his jacket in the corner of the room. He was anxious to know if Magnus had called or left him a message.

"Can I call a time out for a minute?" Alec asked, dropping his stance slightly, but not enough so Jace could attack him easily.

"Nope, no stopping until the fight is over and you've lost." Alec glared, Jace's cocky attitude often got on his nerves. He thought it was about time that someone taught him a lesson.

"I'm not twelve years old anymore Jace! I'm not some weak little boy you can use as a punching bag! I'm going to win this fight, no matter how long it takes!" Alec was releasing all of his anger in one go, all the anger he'd kept bottled up for years. The anger he'd hidden from his family, friends and even Magnus. The anger he had over Max's death, over his and Magnus' fights, over every little thing that he managed to keep hidden to himself. Jace seemed to take Alec's anger as a way to push him. To make him fight for real.

"Well come on then. Fight me for real." Jace taunted. "Or are you not man enough to prove those words to me." Jace thought he saw a flash of pure anger go across Alec's eyes and without warning, Alec lashed out. He was quick but Jace managed to avoid his attacks. "See, now you're fighting me for real." Jace said, ducking under Alec's right fist. "You're using your speed to gain an advantage which is good."

"This is not a training session!" Alec screamed at him. Alec feigned a shot left and as soon as Jace moved to block it, Alec changed his attack entirely. Instead of a punch which would've done little to no damage to his Parabatai, he kicked him. As soon as Jace had left his stomach open, Alec saw his time to strike. He pulled his fist back, stepped back on his weaker left leg, and kicked as hard as he physically could into Jace's stomach. Jace grunted in pain but managed to keep his footing. Alec had sweat dripping down his face, he angrily wiped it away but he couldn't stop his eyes from darting back to his jacket. Jace could see some of his anger vanish when he thought about Magnus, so he decided to try and get him to open up.

"What's going on Alec? This isn't like you. You aren't an angry person." The two of them had come to a standstill. Neither was moving to attack, Jace genuinely needed to know. "You're my Parabatai. My best friend in the whole world. I've never seen you like this." Alec looked at Jace; he could see a slight cut on his cheek. Alec realised he must have hit him without knowing.

"You want to know what's wrong? Fine. What's wrong is that I constantly hurt, anger or annoy the man I love. What's wrong, is it should've been me who died and not Max. What's wrong is that I can't seem to catch a break because everything in my life seems to be going wrong!" Jace was stunned. It hurt when Alec brought up Max, but he refused to cry. Slowly his thoughts managed to process what he'd said. It took a few minutes, but he finally said.

"Check your phone." Jace had dropped his offensive stance altogether. Alec took the opportunity and ran to his jacket, hunting for his phone. He dug it out and saw he had no messages. His heart sank. "Text him Alec. If Magnus hasn't messaged or called you by now, it means he's waiting for you to message first." Jace said, walking over. Alec opened a new message and was ready to type, but he had no idea what to put. What could he say that would stop Magnus from being mad at him? Jace watched Alec's forehead furrow in thought. He paced around the training room for a short while before looking back at Alec. He was still sat in the same position, thinking hard about what to write.

Suddenly, Alec's forehead relaxed and his fingers started dancing over his phones keyboard.

"I thought I'd let you know I got something to eat on my way to the institute." Alec typed; he sent the message and chewed his lip. His stomach knotted at the thought of Magnus not texting back but he had faith in Jace's words. It was a few minutes before Alec got a reply and he jumped to his feet. "He messaged back!" Alec shouted happily. Jace smiled.

"I told you he would. Now, tell him you'll call him later, and come and talk to me." Alec nodded and opened the text.

"Good, I'm glad." Was all it said. Alec's smile dropped and he looked sadly at his phone. He turned away quickly before Jace could notice.

"I'll call you later okay? Then we can sort this whole thing out." Alec typed back. He sent the message and less than thirty seconds later he had a reply.

"Okay." Magnus had sent. Alec was afraid that he had really upset Magnus and he wanted to make it better. Alec crouched down and was about to put his phone away when another message came through. He immediately opened it and smiled.

" x " was what the message read. It was amazing how one tiny letter, could change Alec's mood so much. He put his phone away and turned to Jace, who was looking more patient than Alec had ever seen him. He was sat, cross legged, in the middle of the training mat. Alec walked over, and sat facing him.

"Jace I'm so..."

"No, don't say you're sorry. I pushed you when I knew you were upset. It's my fault, end of story. Right now, I just want you to talk to me." Alec watched a tiny trickle of blood flow from the cut on his face, though Jace seemed oblivious.

"Okay." Alec said reluctantly. Jace nodded.

"First. Why do you think you always annoy Magnus?" Jace asked. Alec opened his mouth to answer but then closed it again. He didn't have an answer. He didn't know. "You don't know. Do you?" Alec shook his head.

"It's just..." Alec began and sighed. "Earlier, he was making me breakfast and I didn't want to make myself any later coming here because I knew you'd take it out on me." Jace looked at Alec in surprise.

"Alec I was surprised when you walked in those doors. You getting breakfast is fine by me. I wouldn't have cared, I'm just glad you showed up." He explained. Alec nodded.

"I'm glad that's cleared up. But I was drumming my fingers on the dining room table and I was watching the clock and he asked me to stop so I did. But instead I tapped my feet on the floor and..."

"And he snapped?" Jace finished for him. Alec nodded and Jace could see that he was nervously playing with his hands. "Alec you know what he's like when he's tired. It wasn't your fault. It couldn't be helped." Alec pushed himself to his feet; he couldn't bear to sit still so he walked around the training room.

"I guess you're right." He said finally.

"I know I'm right. Okay, next question. Why do you think you should've died instead of Max?" Jace knew to tread lightly on the topic as he knew that Alec still had a hard time coping with the death of his brother. Alec answered straight away.

"He hadn't lived his life. He was nine Jace. He was nine and that bastard Jonathan killed him. Max was just a boy. Max hadn't even gotten his first rune, he'd never fallen in love, he hadn't done any of it. And now he's dead. He's dead Jace..." Alec was forcing himself not to cry. It was extremely difficult. Clenching his fists, Alec tried to release his tension.

"I know you and Magnus will have spoken about this, so I'll keep my response brief." Jace began; he was still sat in the exact same spot, his back perfectly straight. "No, Max hadn't lived his life. But if you'd have died in his place, what good would have come from it?" He asked. He was trying hard not to provoke a violent response from Alec, but his attempts proved fruitless.

"He would still be alive, Jace! He would still be here!" Alec yelled. Jace kept his voice level and completely calm.

"But, you would be gone. Magnus would be alone and I don't want to know what happens when the Parabatai bond breaks." Jace was Alec's voice of reason; he always had been when Alec had doubted himself.

"Magnus... Alone..." Alec shook his head. "No I... I need to be with Magnus. Magnus can't be alone. No... No I need to be with Magnus." Alec was rambling, his thoughts were clashing. One part of him still wished he'd have died in Max's place, and one part was imagining what would've happened if he had died. Jace knew to leave him be. He didn't make a sound until Alec had sorted himself out. "I need Magnus. Magnus needs me. We need each other." Alec continued, it appeared that the side that was imagining what would've happened if he had died was winning. Though Jace knew it wouldn't be permanent. Before too long he'd start doubting himself again, but for now Alec was calming.

"Yes Alec. You and Magnus need each other. Now, I'm not going to go into the last point you made, as right now I think if you don't call Magnus you're going to have an emotional breakdown." Jace dug into his trouser pockets and produced a small key. "So, here is your key to Magnus' apartment. Training is over for today. But I expect to see you here tomorrow." Alec took the key from Jace.

"But I didn't win the fight..." Jace laughed at Alec's honour.

"No, neither of us did. But you won the mental fight, and that's what matters." Jace said, standing up off of the floor. He stretched and started making his way out of the training room.

"Thank you Jace." Alec called after him. "I'll make sure Magnus makes your snake into a dagger again." Jace smiled and put his thumb up behind his back.

"You're a good guy Alec." Jace said as the door closed.


	8. Alec's Shopping Trip

Alec gathered his jacket off of the floor and slipped it on. It was harder without Magnus helping, but he managed. Pulling his phone out, he typed in Magnus' number which he had perfectly memorised. It took two rings for him to pick up.

"Alec." Magnus sounded relieved that Alec was calling him. "Alec I'm so so sorry. For everything. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten mad." He was talking fast, but Alec could easily pick up what he was saying as he walked through the quiet corridors of the institute.

"No Magnus, don't say you're sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have annoyed you, I knew you were tired." Alec replied. The phone went silent for a few moments.

"How about this. It was both of our faults. No-one is in the wrong." Magnus said, looking for a compromise.

"Deal." Alec responded straight away. "Now, Jace has released me from training for the day and I've got my key back. I'm not coming home straight away though, I'm going shopping. Is there anything you need while I'm out?"

"We need some chicken and fish for Chairman Meow. I need some new glitter as I'm running out, and can you get me a new shirt or two?"

"Yeah sure, no problem. I'll grab some dinner for us whilst I'm out as well."

"Ooh, Taki's?"

"If Taki's is what you want, then I'll get you Taki's." Alec was smiling. They were happy again.

"Yay!" Magnus exclaimed down the phone. Alec laughed.

"What would I do without you?" Alec asked.

"Umm, I'm going to have to pass that one." Alec smiled happily.

"Right, well I've got to go, I won't be too long, I'm only picking up a few things." Alec said, ready to stop the conversation. He was eager to get the shopping done and get back to Magnus.

"Okay baby, I'll see you soon." Alec was about to hang up when he remembered something.

"Magnus wait, could you possibly turn Jace's new pet snake back into his dagger?" He had his fingers crossed that Magnus would say yes. Down the phone, Alec could hear Magnus snap his fingers and then the line went dead. Alec put his phone away and made his way out of the institute.

Within ten minutes, he was at Magnus' favourite shop where he got all his glitter from. The owner was a warlock and was always happy to see Alec arrive.

"Alec, good to see you again." The owner said happily. Alec inclined his head.

"You too Brent. Long-time no see." Alec replied. "Magnus is after his usual order and throw a couple more in for me please." Brent looked suspiciously at Alec.

"He hasn't got you wearing it now, has he?" Alec looked mortified.

"Oh god no! No, we had a bit of an argument so this is a small way of saying sorry. The only time I'll wear glitter is when he puts it on me in the middle of the night and I can't get it off." Brent smiled.

"He's a good guy is Magnus. I've known him a long time. You're good for him." Alec watched Brent put the pots of glitter on the counter.

"He is a good guy. I love him to pieces." The pots were slowly stacking up.

"Not any guy would go to a shop like this for their other halves." Brent said matter-of-factly.

"If I'm honest, I'm not just any guy." Brent looked at him, studying him.

"No. No you aren't. Right, so that's his usual order." Alec knew which ones Magnus used the most. He tapped a multi-coloured pot of glitter.

"Three more of these and..." Alec glanced over the pots. He tapped on a gold pot of glitter. "Three more of these, and four more of any colour." Brent quickly put the extra pots on the counter.

"That everything?" Brent asked.

"Yeah, that's great. Thank you. I have a favour to ask you. If it's okay."

"Sure go ahead."

"Never go out of business." Alec joked. Brent laughed.

"With the way Magnus buys glitter, I'll never go out of business. You two are my best customers." Alec smiled.

"And proud of it." He replied. He opened his wallet and paid Brent in cash. "Well, until next time. It was good seeing you again." Brent was putting the pots into a bag.

"Always good to see you Alec. Take care and give Magnus my best." Alec took the bag off the counter.

"Will do mate." Alec left the shop, and made his way to his next stop. One by one, he made his way around the shops he needed. He bought Chairman Meow's fresh chicken and smelly fish from the best suppliers, and then he got some essentials like bread and milk for him and Magnus. He placed an order for some other meats to be delivered to the house and finally went to get Magnus' shirts. He stepped a small shop and looked around. It was always hard shopping for Magnus and he wished that he was there with him. Going clothes shopping for Magnus always gave him a headache. He could never find anything that was right for Magnus and it stressed him out. He was in the shop for more than half an hour before picking out two shirts at random. His head was swimming and he was sick of looking at sparkly clothes. The woman on the till put the shirts through and Alec paid in cash. As soon as the shirts were in bags he grabbed the bag and left the shop. He had two more stops to make. He went to a small flower shop and bought a large bouquet of flowers and a box of Magnus' favourite chocolates.

He was just on his way to Taki's to pick up dinner, when a small baby shop caught his eye. He felt drawn to it and just had to go in. As soon as he was inside, his face lit up. All the tiny clothes, the comforters and the toys made him think about his future with Magnus. The fact that they could have a baby, if they ever decided what they wanted. Looking at the clothes, he found himself drawn to a tiny pair of bright white trainers, a tiny onesie and a pink blanket that had the words 'daddy's princess' on it. Alec picked them up and took them over to the cashier.

"An expecting father?" The cashier asked with a smile on her face. "You must be excited." Alec smiled.

"An adoptive father. Me and my boyfriend are hoping to adopt a little girl soon. We can't wait." The cashier's smile dropped. Alec could tell that she didn't approve of gay parents. "Listen, I can tell you don't approve, but we can be just as good as normal parents. It's no different." Rudely, the cashier smirked which made Alec upset and a little angry. He decided not to say anymore so he paid in cash, put the tiny clothes in one of the bags he had, and left. Slamming the door behind him, he went straight to Taki's. He refused to get side-tracked any more. When he arrived at Taki's, he showed the guard one of his runes and was let straight in.


	9. The Glitter Faerie

Alec nodded a greeting to Kaelie who appeared very busy. He went to a seat and waited for Kaelie to go over to him. He put his numerous shopping bags on the floor and the baby clothes caught his eye, making him smile. He waited patiently for ten minutes before Kaelie went over to him.

"Hey Alec, good to see you here. Been shopping I see." Kaelie smiled at him.

"Yeah, met a very rude woman in the last shop and this is my last stop before I go home." Kaelie frowned slightly but then smiled again.

"Why was the woman rude?" She asked, Alec's eyes wandered down to the bag that contained the baby clothes.

"We had a difference of opinions." Was all he wanted to say. Kaelie wasn't one to press any further so she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

"Too bad. It happens." She began. "So, what can I get for you Hun?" She asked. Alec smiled.

"Four large orders of coconut pancakes please, to go." Kaelie wrote it down.

"Okay Hun, it won't be too long."

"Take your time, I'm in no rush." Alec said, he pulled his wallet out and paid in advance. He watched her place the order and then take some food to another table. He'd spent a lot of money that day, but he wasn't overly bothered. Alec sat, staring at the salt and pepper shakers on the table. His confrontation with the woman in the baby shop played over and over in his head. After almost twenty minutes, Kaelie took over a bag with four boxes of pancakes in them.

"The syrup is in the boxes, and I hope you and Magnus enjoy them."

"We will. Thanks Kaelie." Alec said, giving her a $10 tip. She was just about to turn away when Alec caught her arm. "Can I talk to you? Please? I need to talk to someone or my head is going to explode." Kaelie looked around the shop and saw that everyone had been served and that there were no new customers in. She sat across from Alec and put her hand on his.

"Talk away Hun."

"This is a bit private so can we keep this between us?" Kaelie nodded. Alec trusted Kaelie completely.

"Magnus and I are thinking of adopting a baby..." Alec said quietly, making sure no-one else could hear.

"Oh my gosh! Alec, that's so cute!" Kaelie exclaimed with a huge grin on her face. Alec looked down at the salt and pepper shakers again. "Is this what the dispute was about?" Alec nodded.

"Yeah. I told the woman that Magnus and I are planning on it. I knew she didn't approve by the way she looked at me."

"Oh Alec. Some people don't understand. You go for it, if you want this then you do it. Don't let stupid people like that ruin it for you." As usual, Kaelie knew exactly what to say. Alec smiled happily.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Kaelie, you're amazing." Alec said, giving her another $5 tip.

"Now, you get back home to that lucky warlock and have a great day." Kaelie said, springing out of her seat. She stepped to his side and kissed his forehead lightly. "I'll see you again Hun." Alec got all his bags together and added the bag of pancakes to his collection.

"Thanks a lot Kaelie, I owe you."

"You owe me nothing, now get going. Don't leave that warlock alone any longer than you have to." Alec smiled and shouted his thanks to the chef before leaving.

In less than half an hour, Alec was home. He awkwardly dug through his pocket to find his key which was not easy with half a dozen bags in each hand. In the end, he gave up and kicked the door.

"Magnus!" He called, but got no response. "Magnus, let me in!" Alec called again. This time he could hear a pair of feet moving closer to the door.

"Who is it?" Magnus asked, putting on an extremely feminine voice.

"The glitter fairy, now let me in." Magnus opened the door and threw his arms around Alec, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. "I missed you too." Alec said. Magnus took some of the bags from him and went to the kitchen, dumping them on the floor. Alec carried the rest in and got out the flowers he bought. Magnus' eyes lit up.

"Oh Alec, you didn't have to." Alec smiled.

"I know. I wanted to. I annoyed you and I wanted to make up for it." He handed the flowers to Magnus and then got out the box of chocolates. "I got you these too."

"You're the best." Alec smiled and picked up the bag of pancakes. He grabbed two plates, and two sets of knives and forks, setting them out on the dining room table.

"Dinner is served." Alec pulled Magnus' chair out for him so he could sit down. He took the boxes out of the bag and put two on Magnus' plate and two on his own.

"Ooh, I smell coconut pancakes. My favourite." Magnus said as he opened the top box. Across the table, Alec opened his own box, took out the pot of syrup and slid it across to Magnus. He only ever used one pot and Magnus had a sweeter tooth than he did. The two of them ate in complete silence and when they'd finished, they washed everything up and emptied the rest of the bags.

"We have a meat order coming in about an hour, here's Chairman Meow's fish and chicken." Alec said, handing them to Magnus who put them in the fridge. From the couch, Chairman Meow was watching them with interest. Alec was purposely keeping one bag until last. "Here is your glitter, Brent sends his best, please do not use the glitter on me." Alec teased, earning him a playful smile from Magnus.

"Aww, would I do that?" Magnus replied.

"Yes, we both know you would." Alec was putting the milk in the fridge and when he looked back, he saw Magnus looking in the bag he was keeping separate. "Magnus wait, I was keeping that separate for a reason." Magnus looked up from the bag and put it down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Alec took his hand, they'd unpacked every other bag. "Where are my shirts by the way?" Magnus asked, hoping Alec hadn't forgotten.

"They're in here." Alec said, picking up the one remaining bag. "By the way, I am never going to that shop again. It always gives me a headache." Magnus laughed and let himself be led over to the couch. Alec dug out his two shirts and set them down. Magnus wasn't paying attention to the shirts though. He was more interested in what else was in the bag. Alec reached in, and pulled out the tiny pair of trainers. Magnus' mouth hit the floor.

"Oh my god! They're so cute!" Magnus exclaimed, taking them from Alec. Then Alec pulled out the onesie and the blanket, each time Magnus' reaction was the same and it made Alec smile. "Oh Alec, they're so perfect. They'll be great for our baby girl."

"Speaking of our baby girl, I've been thinking about it, and I've decided that if you want a Shadowhunter, we can get a Shadowhunter." Magnus looked at him and smiled.

"That's a nice offer, but it was you who wanted a baby in the first place. If you want a warlock, then we can get a warlock." Yet again, they'd come to a standstill. Alec wasn't in the mood for a second argument that day so he let the topic drop. Alec lay down on the couch and put his head in Magnus' lap. Magnus had put the baby clothes down and had hold of one of his shirts. Unfolding it, he held it in front of him, meaning that Alec could see it too. Alec winced and looked away, burying his head into Magnus' thigh.

"That shop really does give you a headache, doesn't it?" Magnus asked. Alec nodded against his thigh. Magnus quickly checked the second shirt and then put them both away. "You know, I was thinking we could have a party soon. It's been a while." Magnus was speaking his mind.

"As long as it's not today, I don't care." Alec's words were muffled against Magnus' leg but he still managed to make them out.

"I was thinking next week, I'll even invite Jace if you want." Alec shrugged, Jace hated the parties that Magnus threw though Alec had never told him that. Magnus sighed and played with Alec's hair. "You need a haircut." He said, tugging lightly on a piece of Alec's hair.

"I know, I've been meaning to get one." Alec rolled his head back to the side and looked at the TV. Magnus had been watching an old film that was in black and white. It was easy on his eyes so he decided to watch it.


	10. Demon Attack

After the film had finished, Alec sat up and stretched.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" He suggested. "We haven't been anywhere together for ages." It was true, they hadn't been together in a public place for more than four months and the apartment was becoming a boring and constant sight for both of them. Especially Magnus.

"Sure, I'll grab a jacket." Magnus stood up and left the room. Whilst he could, Alec strapped several weapons to his body, concealing them with his clothes. He had a dagger strapped to each ankle and one around his left forearm. He also had a seraph blade, going by the name of Nakir, in his belt. He hated going out unarmed, and when he was with Magnus he felt an overpowering need to protect him. Even though Magnus could use his magic to fight. Magnus emerged from their bedroom as Alec was shrugging on a jacket to cover his dagger.

"Ready?" Alec asked whilst zipping up the front of his jacket.

"Ready." Magnus replied. He'd picked up his favourite scarf whilst he was in the bedroom and was in the process of putting it around his neck. Then, he took Alec's right hand and the two of them left the apartment together. Alec always preferred to be on the left when they were holding hands and it wasn't just because he concealed a weapon on his right arm. He just felt much comfier whilst on the left hand side. Magnus was completely unaware of the weapons that Alec was carrying and he walked happily beside him. Before too long, they came across their local park. It was beginning to go dark outside so there were only a few teenagers hanging around. They got a few funny looks and some snide remarks as they passed, but neither responded. They couldn't have cared less. Both of them were used to it and as long as there was no physical confrontation they both ignored it. It was extremely rare that they were physically confronted, it had happened only twice since they had made their relationship official, however they got verbal abuse nearly every time they went out together. Alec looked up at the moon, it wasn't quite full but it would be in a few days.

"Well, Luke is going to be having fun in the next few days." Alec observed. Beside him, Magnus nodded. Alec looked gazed up at the gradually darkening sky, trusting Magnus to lead him in a straight line.

"I've always liked the dark." Magnus said. "I was never afraid of it as a child." Alec looked at Magnus and smiled.

"I used to be terrified of the dark. But being afraid of the dark and being a Shadowhunter don't tend to go well together." Magnus laughed quietly to himself.

"No, I imagine not." Alec looked down at the floor. Secretly, he was still afraid of the dark, though he never told anyone. Not even Jace knew and it was something that Jace wasn't going to find out. Magnus and Alec walked in silence for a short while, enjoying each other's company. There was a cold wind that occasionally blew past them, making Alec shiver. He was freezing cold and his teeth were chattering. "Alec, baby come on. Let's go home. You're going to get ill at this rate." Alec looked at Magnus and nodded. Magnus could see that he didn't want to disappoint him by asking him to go home early.

"I d-d-didn't want to m-m-make you think I d-d-didn't want to be here." Alec stammered, struggling to get his words out. Magnus stopped him from walking and pulled him into his arms. Alec was as stiff as a board and Magnus could feel him shivering violently.

"If you're cold, then I'll always understand if you want to head back." Magnus said quietly in his ear. Alec put his arms around Magnus, doing everything he could to try and warm up. He was desperate. Magnus lifted Alec's jacket and t-shirt slightly, putting his hands underneath and onto the small of Alec's back. His hands were warm despite the cold, and Alec gasped as soon as the contact was made.

"S-s-so warm..." Alec said, burying his head against Magnus' neck. Magnus smiled and kissed Alec's cheek softly.

They stood holding each other for almost ten minutes before Alec heard the unmistakeable sound of a demon. He stood completely still, concentrating fully.

"It's not close. Not yet." He said with certainty. "But it'll be on us quickly." Alec pulled away from Magnus and pulled his stele out of his pocket.

"What will be? Alec please explain." Magnus was incredibly confused.

"A demon, I don't know what type so I have to be quick. Some move much faster than others." Alec explained whilst quickly, but neatly decorating his body with the flowing designs of his runes. He left an Iratze unfinished on his right bicep, ready if he needed it. Magnus watched him prepare, Alec had had to shed his jacket in order to apply the runes which had allowed Magnus to see the concealed dagger on his arm. Alec pulled the dagger out of its sheathe and then stood motionless, listening for any signs of the demon. He'd made himself invisible to all Mundanes so he could do pretty much anything he wanted. Magnus was standing out the way, he could see that Alec was starting to shiver again and he hoped that it was just a false alarm.

"Alec? What was it that you heard?" Magnus asked.

"It sounded like a whip... Raveners have tails that swing from side to side which creates a sound like a whip cracking."

"Or it could just be a person using a whip." Magnus didn't believe his own words, Alec had been trained to kill demons for most of his life. Surely he'd know when one was nearby, Magnus hoped. The surrounding area was silent, except for the occasional rustle of the leaves on the trees. Alec scanned the area thoroughly, turning slowly on the spot. He was almost facing Magnus when the wind made the leaves rustle again, and he heard it. The whip like cracking of a Raveners tail. Alec knew that Magnus hadn't heard it, but it was gaining ground on them quickly. A moment later, Alec saw it running straight towards Magnus. Without a moment's hesitation, he started to run towards him.

"Magnus! Get down!" Alec yelled. At the last possible moment, Magnus dropped to the ground. Just as a Ravener demon leapt over him. Alec was ready, all his training had been for this moment. I will protect Magnus and I will kill this demon, was the only thing going through Alec's mind. Glancing over at Magnus, Alec could see him getting to his feet. Relieved that he hadn't been hurt, Alec turned his attention to the Ravener. It had been years since he'd faced one, but he remembered that they had venomous saliva and he really didn't want to be hit by its tail. For a few minutes, Alec did nothing but dodge every attack that was thrown his way. He was desperate to get the Ravener away from Magnus and he succeeded, though it was a slow process. Only when he'd managed to get a safe distance away from Magnus did Alec start to fight. At first he only used his daggers. One he got stuck in the demon's back and was unable to retrieve. After losing that one, he took out the two that were strapped to his ankles. Magnus was gobsmacked that Alec carried around so many weapons without him realising.

It was a long a laborious battle for Alec, and even more so for Magnus who could only stand and watch. He didn't want to get in Alec's way. The most he could do was distract the Ravener from time to time with tiny spurts of magic, though his magic was becoming less effective. His distractions weren't working anymore and it set him greatly on edge. Magnus watched as Alec leapt over the swinging tail of the Ravener, missing it by an inch. The next thing Magnus heard was a screech. He knew it wasn't Alec, the only time Alec could have made a noise like that was when Magnus embarrassed him or caught him doing something he shouldn't. A quick glance at Alec showed that he was left with only one dagger, though he couldn't see where it had disappeared to. Alec was covered in a layer of sweat, the cold breeze completely forgotten about. Magnus was incredibly proud of Alec, the last time he had seen Alec fight was the year that Max had died. When Valentine had summoned hundreds of demons. The memory sent shivers down Magnus' spine. Snapping back into what was going on, Magnus watched as the Ravener backed off slightly. In the blink of an eye, Alec sheathed his final dagger and pulled out the Seraph blade he had concealed in his belt.

"Nakir." Alec whispered and the blade sprung into life. "Let's finish this." Alec muttered to himself. Then he sprung into action. His blade held tightly in his stronger right hand. Magnus watched as Alec dodged three attacks from the Ravener and then slid on his side underneath it. For a moment, Alec vanished from his sight. Then, before his eyes, the Ravener started collapsing in on itself. With a shriek, the Ravener disappeared. Magnus ran over to the spot where it had vanished and saw Alec laying on his side on the cold floor.

"Alec!" Magnus sprinted to his side and dropped to his knees beside him. "Alec?" Magnus gently rolled him onto his back. Alec smiled up at him.

"We did it." Alec said, taking Magnus' hand. Magnus shook his head.

"You did it. You killed it." Magnus said. Helping Alec sit up he noticed him try and hide a sharp gasp of pain. "You're hurt..." Instantly Magnus started checking Alec, trying to find the source of his pain.

"Magnus, Magnus stop. Let's just get home. You can worry there. It's freezing out here." Magnus nodded slightly and stood up. Then, taking Alec's hands, he pulled him to his feet. Alec was severely off balance and leaned heavily onto Magnus for support. Magnus sighed heavily.

"I know you hate me using magic for things like this, but we are not walking home with you in this condition." Alec started to protest but a quick glare from Magnus silenced him. He was too tired to argue anyway. Slipping his arms around Alec's back, Magnus prepared to transport them. Suddenly, Alec pushed away from him. "Alexander we are not walking!" Magnus yelled. Stumbling, Alec walked over to where the Ravener had died. Looking around, he tried to locate his two daggers. Magnus walked over to Alec, steadying him and preventing him from falling.

"My daggers... I need my daggers..." Alec said frantically. "Jace, he gave them to me. I need them back." Against his will, Alec sat down on the floor with Magnus' help.

"I will find your daggers. Okay? You stay put." Alec didn't usually listen when Magnus told him to stay somewhere, but this time he obeyed. He watched Magnus do a quick scan of the area. It took him less than five minutes to find both of Alec's daggers and once he'd taken them back to his exhausted and injured boyfriend, he transported them both back home.


End file.
